C4 Oil Filter Shelf Life

[Dave B.]

It's relatively easy to find PF25 oil filters on Ebay, etc. My concern is whether the filter material on these old filters can degrade over time; ie, do oil filters have a shelf life? We jump thru all these hoops to try and duplicate the appearance of the original filter but could we putting an engine at risk as a result? I appreciate any opinions.

Dave

[Joe L.]

Re: C4 Oil Filter Shelf Life

It's relatively easy to find PF25 oil filters on Ebay, etc. My concern is whether the filter material on these old filters can degrade over time; ie, do oil filters have a shelf life? We jump thru all these hoops to try and duplicate the appearance of the original filter but could we putting an engine at risk as a result? I appreciate any opinions.

Dave

Dave-----


There is no "official" shelf-life specified for oil filters. However, I'd be reluctant to use one that was more than 10 years old-----all organic material (and, cellulose fiber is definitely an organic material) degrades over time. I think the problem is much less for synthetic media filters; I think they could go for 20 years, or more. However, synthetic media filters were never used in PRODUCTION on a Corvette so no such filter would be considered original.

There should be no problem, though, with using an original filter for judging only. Just put it on prior to judging and take it off after judging. Even if you run the engine for a while, I don't think that will create any problem. After you take it off, drain it thoroughly and re-install it the next time. This way, all you need is ONE original style filter. Use currently manufactured filters at all other times.